Fertility rate falls to record low

THE fertility rate for England and Wales has fallen for the third year in a row to reach a new record low.

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The total fertility rate across both nations, defined as the average number of live children women would expect to have during their childbearing life, stood at 1.41 in 2024.

This is down from 1.42 in 2023 and is the lowest since comparable data began in 1938, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

For a country’s population to remain stable over time - discounting any impact from migration - the total fertility rate needs to be around 2.1.

Newport had the highest local rate in Wales (1.64), while Cardiff had the lowest (1.19).

The drop comes despite the number of births in England and Wales increasing slightly last year from 591,072 to 594,677. This was offset by a jump in the size of the overall population, meaning fertility rates fell overall.